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Should we change the criminal age of majority in England and Wales? Consideration of young adults within the youth justice and criminal justice system
Price, Jayne
Price, Jayne
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2026
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Abstract
Current legislation and safeguarding principles are bound by narrow and inflexible constructions of childhood and adulthood (Brewster, 2020; Cocker et al., 2021). The criminal age of responsibility in England and Wales has been criticised for the responsibilisation of children from age 10 years (Goldson, 2013). Criticisms have also been extended to the criminal age of majority and entry into adult institutions and services at age 18 years (Goldson, 2019). There is a growing evidence base demonstrating the ongoing neurological development and complex needs of young adults (aged 18-24 years), particularly for those within the criminal justice system (CJS). This situates young adults as having vulnerabilities similar to children (Brewster, 2020) thus making their criminalisation and ‘adulterisation’ as harmful. Drawing on national and international literature, this article contributes to a growing literature base by critically considering an extension of the youth justice system (YJS) against a distinct young adult approach.
Citation
Pryce, J. (2026). Should we change the criminal age of majority in England and Wales? Consideration of young adults within the youth justice and criminal justice system. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, vol, issue, pages. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.70047
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Wiley
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The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice
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Article
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This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Pryce, J. (2026). Should we change the criminal age of majority in England and Wales? Consideration of young adults within the youth justice and criminal justice system. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, vol, issue, pages. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.70047], which has been published in final form at [https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.70047]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
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ISSN
2059-1098
EISSN
2059-1101